McNamara's Folly: The Use of Low-IQ Troops in the Vietnam War
US Defence Secretary Robert McNamara lowered mental standards to induct 354,000 low-IQ men. Their death toll in combat was appalling.
McNamara's folly - deliberate use of low-IQ troops in Vietnam!
-
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 6032
- Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:08 pm
- Location: 59°09N 002°38W
- Gender:
- Age: 80
McNamara's folly - deliberate use of low-IQ troops in Vietnam!
Ricardian, Stronsay, Orkney UK
www.stronsaylimpet.co.uk
visitstronsay.com
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/EGER
www.stronsaylimpet.co.uk
visitstronsay.com
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/EGER
- tango15
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 2506
- Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:43 pm
- Location: East Midlands
- Gender:
- Age: 79
Re: McNamara's folly - deliberate use of low-IQ troops in Vietnam!
This would be the same Robert Strange (real name) McNamara who wrote In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. New York: Times Books, 1995. I believe it has a prime place on Mr Putin's bookshelf.
-
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:28 pm
- Location: Johannesburg
- Gender:
I ain't no Senator's Son!
Sadly, often, but not always, people from the poorest classes, and races, in society, who have been poorly educated, are judged using conventional IQ tests to be morons, or whatever pejorative word one might summon up, when they are none of those things, even though they can't read, write, do arithmetic etc. I am thinking for example, of the San trackers used by the SADF during the war in SWA. Men who were written off, literally, as being primitive and backward by all in sundry, and yet became feared by the SWAPO guerillas et al, who made every attempt to annihilate these people who were extraordinary geniuses in their own environment, where they consummate trackers, survivors and soldiers!
McNamara's cynicism in using those at the bottom of the proficiency pool was criminal but not surprising, because, as ever, it was the best educated, and wealthiest who were available to avoid the draft etc. Some are more "equal" than others! Vide Donald Trump and his "bone spurs!"
https://www.khwattu.org/exhibitions/the ... f-the-san/
McNamara's cynicism in using those at the bottom of the proficiency pool was criminal but not surprising, because, as ever, it was the best educated, and wealthiest who were available to avoid the draft etc. Some are more "equal" than others! Vide Donald Trump and his "bone spurs!"
https://www.khwattu.org/exhibitions/the ... f-the-san/
The observer of fools in military south and north...
- G~Man
- Capt
- Posts: 1125
- Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:16 pm
- Location: California on a fire or a sailboat somewhere.
- Gender:
- Age: 60
Re: McNamara's folly - deliberate use of low-IQ troops in Vietnam!
I think I had already mentioned on the book thread that I spent a weekend on the Craig McNamara's, (Craig is Robert's son), farm for a wedding---SWeMBO's nephew married his daughter Emily. I spent about an hour talking with Craig about many things, just not vIetnam.
Check out the farm here
I did buy his book and read that afterwards. I think the one thing I relalized about his book and now this thread, iss that war is ugly on many fronts, it is never fair, and we spend waay too much money on being prepaared for war. Crazy world society.
His book is interesting:
.
Check out the farm here
I did buy his book and read that afterwards. I think the one thing I relalized about his book and now this thread, iss that war is ugly on many fronts, it is never fair, and we spend waay too much money on being prepaared for war. Crazy world society.
His book is interesting:
.
Life may not be the party you hoped for, but while you're here, you may as well dance.
-
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 4932
- Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:47 am
- Location: The South Island, New Zealand
Re: I ain't no Senator's Son!
From The Militarisation of the San link above -OneHungLow wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:34 amSadly, often, but not always, people from the poorest classes, and races, in society, who have been poorly educated, are judged using conventional IQ tests to be morons, or whatever pejorative word one might summon up, when they are none of those things, even though they can't read, write, do arithmetic etc. I am thinking for example, of the San trackers used by the SADF during the war in SWA. Men who were written off, literally, as being primitive and backward by all in sundry, and yet became feared by the SWAPO guerillas et al, who made every attempt to annihilate these people who were extraordinary geniuses in their own environment, where they consummate trackers, survivors and soldiers!
McNamara's cynicism in using those at the bottom of the proficiency pool was criminal but not surprising, because, as ever, it was the best educated, and wealthiest who were available to avoid the draft etc. Some are more "equal" than others! Vide Donald Trump and his "bone spurs!"
San.JPG
https://www.khwattu.org/exhibitions/the ... f-the-san/
breathtaking arrogance!...a report by the Argus Africa News Service: “Terrorist attacks have brought unexpected benefits for thousands of Bushmen in South West Africa [Namibia]. It has given them a chance to join the 20th century.”...
Re the video, McNamara's Morons - The Low Intelligence Soldiers Used as Guinea Pigs in the Vietnam War - dreadfully sad; the comments below the video are illuminating also.
"And to think that it's the same dear old Moon..."
-
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:28 pm
- Location: Johannesburg
- Gender:
Re: I ain't no Senator's Son!
More than just arrogance, but wilful misrepresentation of the situation as the San had been coerced into the military and were deserted by the SADF once the war in SWA came to an end. The current Namibian government continues to discriminate against these people who have suffered for generations whatever government was in power. The war and their participation in it caused untold harm to their society.Karearea wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 1:53 am
From The Militarisation of the San link above -breathtaking arrogance!...a report by the Argus Africa News Service: “Terrorist attacks have brought unexpected benefits for thousands of Bushmen in South West Africa [Namibia]. It has given them a chance to join the 20th century.”...
Re the video, McNamara's Morons - The Low Intelligence Soldiers Used as Guinea Pigs in the Vietnam War - dreadfully sad; the comments below the video are illuminating also.
As the Vietnam video shows, McNamara et al tried to put an equally dubious societally advantageous spin on the use, more abuse, of the mentally, physically, and educationally challenged in the military during the Vietnam war. The fact that these categories of men suffered disproportionate casualties during the war, and their lack of support thereafter amounts to criminal negligence by the government and people like McNamara. It is little wonder that a young man later attempted to kill McNamara by throwing him off a ferry.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-an- ... u_b_226870
The observer of fools in military south and north...